Hydraulic insole



Aug. 2, 1949. G. H. DUMM .Y 2,4775538 HYDRAULIC INSOLE Filed Feb. s',194e INV ENToR GUn-:ORGE H. DuMM BYMyfMmw/m ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 2,1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HYDRAULIC INSOLE George H. Dumm, Kent,Ohio Application February 8, 1946, Serial N0. 646,400

(Cl. Sli-'71) 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in a device of the nature of anhydraulic insole adapted to be worn inside footwear.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pocket andmeans to retain the same in a predetermined position relative to thefoot of the wearer, together with fiowable material inside the pocketwhich adapts itself to inequalities of the wearer's foot when in use, soas to provide foot support at desired places.

Other objects of the present invention are t provide novel arrangementsof pockets of ilowable material adjacent specified portions of the foottogether with cheap but elcient means for holding these pockets inpredetermined position relative to the foot of the wearer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide closed flexiblepockets in predetermined positions relative to the foot of the wearer,and a novel lling material for such pockets which ilows with diiiicultyat body temperatures.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the accompanying drawings and specication, and the essentialfeatures thereof will be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one form of my device;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view showing a modied form of my device;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a further modification of my invention;while,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

It is well known that support or protection is needed for certain partsof the human foot and this has been provided heretofore in some cases,by devices of fixed contour, which, .of course, were never of exactlythe right shape to conform to the individual wearers foot. Othersupporting devices for the entire foot filled with fluid have been knownto me but these did not provide the specific support for predeterminedportions of the foot. The present invention provides specific supportwhere needed of such a nature that it accommodates itself to the exactneeds of the foot of the wearer.

One form of my device, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises twogenerally parallel flexible sheets I0 and II cut to the outline of theinsole of the footwear with which it is intended to be used. The sizeand shape illustrated is for a mans shoe of medium size but obviouslythe outer perimeter of sheets I0 and II may be cut to any desired sizeand shape so as to fit the shoes of women and children as well as men,and in a complete range .of sizes. The sheets I0 and II may be of rubberor synthetic rubber-like material or any similar material havingflexible characteristics and adapted to be readily cemented together.

As best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the sheets III and II are sealed togetherover the greater part of their area in any suitable manner, so that theyact satisfactorily as a one-piece insole, while at the same time,defining a pocket I2 of desired shape and extent. In the case of thesynthetic material illustrated, heated wheels are passed over thematerial with the application of pressure so as to seal the sheets I0and II together along the lines indicated at I3. The position of theselines in the sectional view of Fig. 2, is illustrated by the crosses I4.It will be noted that the lines marked I3a in Fig. 1 dene a centralpocket I2 which lies beneath the heel, the arch, and the metatarsaljoint of the wearers foot.

Before the pocket I2 is completely closed, it is partially filled with aiiowable material I5 after which the sides of the pocket are completelyclosed in a liquid-tight manner. Various materials may be used in thepocket I2, but 1 prefer to use material which flows with diiculty atbody temperature. I have found about the right consistency inhomogenized honey. This is an intimate mixture of the entire honeyincluded the comb.

It results from the above construction that when the device of Figs. 1and 2 is placed as an insole between the wall of the shoe and the footof the wearer, the flowable material I5 is squeezed out of parts of thepocket into other parts where it provides a support for the foot, whichwould otherwise be unsupported because of inequalities existing betweenthe sole of the shoe and the foot .of the wearer. Obviously, the patternformed by the material I5 will in each case vary with the individualusing it. In Fig. 1, I have indicated in dotted lines the position ofthis material taken in one instance. This shows a slight amount ofmaterial at the back and sides of the heel, another slight amount at oneside of the metatarsal joint, but the bulk of the material is in thecenter of the pocket beneath the arch of the foot. In fact, the portionsof material at the back and sides of the heel and at the metatarsaljoint were of much less thickness than the portion beneath the arch ofthe foot. In a normal foot this Will always be true and the bulk of thematerial will be squeezed up beneath the arch of the foot, giving it anecessary support along natural lines and accommodated to the exactneeds of the foot of the wearer.

In Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown a modication arrangedA more specicallyfor the support of the arch without reference to other parts of thefoot. Here the sheet members I6 and I1 are secured together over thegreater portion of their extent by seams made by pressure and heat, aspreviously described, and extending along the lines I8.

Where these seam lines appear in Fig, 4, their po-V sitions areindicated by the crosses I9. Some of these seam lines, as indicated atIa, denne a pocket 26 which is fluid-tight and in Whichf is placed therequired amount of flowable material 2i. Because this material isapproximately inthe pl 'el where' it is needed to 'support the arch ornormal foot, the material 2]' will be fairly well distributed' over thepocket 2,6, as indicated in Fig. 3'.

In Figs. 5; and 6', I have shown a further modification' for use inprotecting a bunion orv the like. Inthis device a single sheet 22 ofmaterial, cut to fitthe' insole of a'. shoe, has connected to it at theyproper place, a smaller sheet of flexible ma.- terial 23 which togetherwith the portion 22a of the sheet 2,?` providesv a pocket which extendslaterally outside of the normal periphery of an insole. This pocket isclose'dby uniting the layers 23 and 2,2 along the lines 2li making auidrtight pocket ,whichl is partially filled with flowable mate'riaLZFi.lIt is obvious that when.4 the device of Fig 5 'an`d Sis placedin theshoe of a wearer, the p ocketportion will ioldup alongside the great toeand the material 2,5 will bemoved towardthe front and. rear ends of thepocket so as tov provide a cushion around the bunion.

Obviously, my teachings may beutilized to provide.liquid-tightpocketsany place desired around the, foot, andthe portionsofthe insoleconnected with the pocket serve tohold the pocket ina predeterminedposition relative to thel foot of the wearer,

'Il he shape and material used in connectionwith a` given. pockettogether with the amount. and

nature of the filling material in said pocket, is calculated to achievethe result desired. Obviously, to take the case' of Figs. 1 and 2, ifthe pocket l2 were of too great a thickness and completely iilled withthe material l5 before the device was placed in use, then when theweight of the wearer pushed the material from' the front and rear endsof the pocket beneath the arch, there might well be too much material atthat point andthe wearer wouldl be uncomfortable.

In any case, the filler material, such as homogenized honey, issufciently flowable to conform to the shape of the foot of the wearer,but it also has suiicient body or consistency to exert a massagingaction on the foot as the filler material moves about in the pocket dueto foot movements.

What I claim is:

A device to be worn inside footwear comprising means providing a closedflexible pocket adapted to engage the lower part of the foot ofthefvwearer, permanently i'luid diicultly ilowable material in saidpocket of less quantity than the capacity oi said pocket, said materialin said pocket having approximately the. flowability oflfio'iri'ogeniz'ed honey, and means operatively connected with saidpocket adapted to. holdV said pocket in predetermined position relativetov the foot..

GEORGE H. DUMM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED- STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,145,553 Wetmore July 6, 19151,193,608 Poulsen Aug. 8, 1916 1,254,654:V Carling` Jan. 29, 19181,304,915 Spinney May 27, 1919 1,676,162 Schiller July 3, 1928 1,757,904Free May- 6, 1930 2,992,910. Daniels Sept. 14, 1937 2,123,730 HuttlestonJ'uly 12,. 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 338,266 GreatBritain Nov. 20, 1930

